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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Cleaning up the Money Trail in Idaho Politics

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Friday, February 2, 2007   

Running for office in Idaho takes a lot of cash. Close to $5 million was spent on the governor's race alone this year, and that has campaign finance reformers anxious to make some changes. An Idaho legislative committee is considering a plan similar to those adopted in Maine and Arizona, in which citizens could run for office without accepting big money from private donors or corporations. It's an idea even many politicians appreciate, including former Republican Gooding County Commissioner Carolyn Elexpuru.

"When the politicians are elected this way, they wouldn't owe any 'favors,' or feel like they have to 'take care' of those who put money into their campaign."

If it passes, the Idaho Fair Elections Act would be voluntary. Candidates who pledge not to take big donations would qualify for a small grant to help pay their campaign expenses. Critics of such programs say private campaign donations are a form of free speech, and that making election grants would encourage "unqualified" people to run for office. But Boise School District Trustee A.J. Balukoff says there have been too many proven cases of campaign donations corrupting the decisions of public officials. He feels this law would restore public confidence and level the proverbial playing field.

"I think an alternative way of financing campaigns would encourage more people to run for public office. Here in Idaho, I think we'd see more competition for legislative seats."

Senate Bill 1037 will be heard by the Senate State Affairs Committee at 8 a.m. A companion bill would require personal financial disclosures for legislators. Idaho is one of only three states that doesn't track individual candidates' financial conflicts of interest.



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